Credit: WWE.comCredit: WWE.com
Over the last several years, WWE has relied heavily on the lure of part-time attractions who were once top full-time stars. That explains why the likes of Triple H, Kurt Angle and John Cena have been featured as main event acts in recent years even though there are plenty of rising stars who are capable of filling that role. As a result, many wrestling fans have become, quite frankly, fickle: One day, they want guys like Rusev and Sami Zayn to get a World title opportunity, but the next day, they talk about how badly they want to see The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar.
And with WrestleMania season quickly approaching, it's once again that time of the year when a buzz is in the air about which stars could be returning to the ring for WWE's biggest show of the year. In recent months, the names most often mentioned for a potential WWE return include but are not limited to Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Batista and even The Undertaker.
Punk's UFC fighting future still appears to be up in the air, and even though it looks like he's moved on from wrestling for good, fans still chant his name at WWE shows across the world. Jericho probably can't be at WrestleMania 34, but the buzz created by his upcoming Wrestle Kingdom 12 match against Kenny Omega has made him a hot name as of late. Throw in The Undertaker (who is apparently in ring shape these days), Batista (who recently said himself he wants to return on a full-time basis) and Bryan (with recent reports indicating he could actually wrestle for WWE again), and fan desire to see part-timers return is at an all-time high.
But WWE doesn't need any of those stars. Not one bit.
It's easy to see why WWE would be tempted to bring back someone like Punk or Bryan, in particular, because both stars wrestled their last WWE matches while still in their primes and seemingly have at least another few years left to potentially perform at an elite level. However, much of the data that is available for the public to examine indicates that, in 2017, WWE's part-time "attractions" haven't exactly lived up to that billing.
This year could serve as a case study for WWE's use of part-timers as we've seen a number of huge matches involving part-timers. Goldberg vs. Lesnar, Cena vs. Roman Reigns, Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman, The Undertaker vs. Reigns and Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens are just a few of the marquee matches WWE has booked this year, and yet, the evidence indicates WWE hasn't reaped any real rewards from that.
Between Q2 and Q3 2017, the average WWE Network subscriber count dropped from 1.788 million to 1.602 million, proving yet again that it's WrestleMania the brand that really sells. Year after year, the WWE Network subscriber count peaks at WrestleMania time, which demonstrates that it's the WrestleMania brand, one of the most valuable in all of sports according to FORBES, that sells as opposed to one particular star that does.
Credit: WWE CorporateCredit: WWE Corporate
In fact, according to WWE's Key Performance Indicators, TV ratings for both Raw and SmackDown were down 1% over the course of the 12 previous months at the end of Q3 2017 even though that period featured supposed blockbuster matches in Lesnar/Strowman and Cena/Reigns. Thus, the idea that marquee stars are going to drastically impact TV viewership, live event attendance or even the WWE Network subscriber is quickly becoming invalid.
Even WWE realizes that.
">WWE fans have fooled themselves into thinking that the company needs former stars to return to the ring and save the day.
Credit: WWE.comCredit: WWE.com
Over the last several years, WWE has relied heavily on the lure of part-time attractions who were once top full-time stars. That explains why the likes of Triple H, Kurt Angle and John Cena have been featured as main event acts in recent years even though there are plenty of rising stars who are capable of filling that role. As a result, many wrestling fans have become, quite frankly, fickle: One day, they want guys like Rusev and Sami Zayn to get a World title opportunity, but the next day, they talk about how badly they want to see The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar.
And with WrestleMania season quickly approaching, it's once again that time of the year when a buzz is in the air about which stars could be returning to the ring for WWE's biggest show of the year. In recent months, the names most often mentioned for a potential WWE return include but are not limited to Chris Jericho, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Batista and even The Undertaker.
Punk's UFC fighting future still appears to be up in the air, and even though it looks like he's moved on from wrestling for good, fans still chant his name at WWE shows across the world. Jericho probably can't be at WrestleMania 34, but the buzz created by his upcoming Wrestle Kingdom 12 match against Kenny Omega has made him a hot name as of late. Throw in The Undertaker (who is apparently in ring shape these days), Batista (who recently said himself he wants to return on a full-time basis) and Bryan (with recent reports indicating he could actually wrestle for WWE again), and fan desire to see part-timers return is at an all-time high.
But WWE doesn't need any of those stars. Not one bit.
It's easy to see why WWE would be tempted to bring back someone like Punk or Bryan, in particular, because both stars wrestled their last WWE matches while still in their primes and seemingly have at least another few years left to potentially perform at an elite level. However, much of the data that is available for the public to examine indicates that, in 2017, WWE's part-time "attractions" haven't exactly lived up to that billing.
This year could serve as a case study for WWE's use of part-timers as we've seen a number of huge matches involving part-timers. Goldberg vs. Lesnar, Cena vs. Roman Reigns, Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman, The Undertaker vs. Reigns and Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens are just a few of the marquee matches WWE has booked this year, and yet, the evidence indicates WWE hasn't reaped any real rewards from that.
Between Q2 and Q3 2017, the average WWE Network subscriber count dropped from 1.788 million to 1.602 million, proving yet again that it's WrestleMania the brand that really sells. Year after year, the WWE Network subscriber count peaks at WrestleMania time, which demonstrates that it's the WrestleMania brand, one of the most valuable in all of sports according to FORBES, that sells as opposed to one particular star that does.
Credit: WWE CorporateCredit: WWE Corporate
In fact, according to WWE's Key Performance Indicators, TV ratings for both Raw and SmackDown were down 1% over the course of the 12 previous months at the end of Q3 2017 even though that period featured supposed blockbuster matches in Lesnar/Strowman and Cena/Reigns. Thus, the idea that marquee stars are going to drastically impact TV viewership, live event attendance or even the WWE Network subscriber is quickly becoming invalid.
Even WWE realizes that.
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